as in giant
unusually large
harvested a whacking number of zucchini from the garden
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in extremely
to a great degree
the clown wore a whacking big pair of shoes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in smacking
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
whacked the vending machine to get the candy bar to fall
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in murdering
slang
to put to death deliberately
without a second thought the mob boss had them whacked
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of whacking
Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
In the ensuing melee, an overly aggressive security guard makes the mistake of whacking Hutch’s young daughter on the head.
—Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2025
Verb
New York put the screws to its division rival on Tuesday, whacking nine home runs to cruise to a 13-3 victory.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
In the ensuing melee, an overly aggressive security guard makes the mistake of whacking Hutch’s young daughter on the head.
—Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whacking
Adjective
-
The interior also worked well for the series’ trademark giant roundtable, and was able to accommodate the large cast.—
Carole Horst,
Variety,
10 Sep. 2025
-
For a long time, people simply followed the work of researchers in the 1970s — including Carl Sagan — who studied the worlds in our Solar System, and assumed such exo-atmospheres would have similar hazes to Saturn’s giant moon Titan.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
10 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Or consider the extremely rapid development of vaccines during the recent COVID pandemic.—
Alan Lightman
September 12,
Literary Hub,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Kirk has risen in popularity over the years for his extremely polarizing takes, which resulted in a heavy split among reactions to his passing.—
Regina Cho,
VIBE.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In the middle, a president who promised to put both conflicts to bed – and whose talk of a Nobel Peace Prize is smacking up against the reality of the Gaza and Ukraine wars.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Under the hot summer sun, players drip sweat after repeatedly smacking into each other during long, physical practices.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In 1935, Qassam and two of his followers ambushed a group of British Mandate policemen, murdering a Jewish sergeant.—
Sean Durns,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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In 1981, James Reyos, a gay Apache man, was wrongly convicted of murdering a priest.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Congress had enacted byzantine eligibility requirements for disability and Supplemental Security Income benefits, forcing the agency to expend huge amounts of time and money running those programs.—
Eli Hager,
ProPublica,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Of course, there remains a huge barrier to entry for the San Jose Sharks sophomore.—
Chris Johnston,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Adverb
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As a result, Green Bay just got glitzier — and America’s Team appears pretty damn far from Super.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
29 Aug. 2025
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The Orange Is the New Black star helped launch EW's annual LGBTQ+ issue — and looked damn good doing it.—
Leah Greenblatt,
EW.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Later that night Plumier demonstrates by swiftly slapping the limp green body of a bullfrog hard across his leg.—
Sophie Hartley,
IndyStar,
9 Sep. 2025
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Tchervinski can be seen in one of videos of the incident slapping a Black man.—
Cameron Knight,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Court filings also describe discussions of assassinating Lula, his vice president Geraldo Alckmin, and Justice de Moraes.—
Julia Vargas Jones,
CNN Money,
2 Sep. 2025
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Charles Guiteau was executed in 1882 for assassinating President James Garfield, the center said.—
Josh Meyer,
USA Today,
26 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whacking. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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